At El Refugio we are blessed with 300 acres of beautiful property in the mountains of Ecuador. Within those parameters, there is about a three mile perimeter hike that laces the edge of the property and looks out into the mountains and town of Calacalí.
A few others and I had the idea to hike to the top for sunrise, not necessarily an easy feat. We planned to start hiking at around three in the morning and summit by sunrise. At 3:00 AM, our alarms woke us up and we quickly packed a few bananas and granola bars and started the trek.
The air was crisp and the grass was wet, we used our phone flashlights for a long time until we allowed our eyes to adjust to the dark.
All throughout the morning, we hiked up and up and up and up, a constant incline at 10,000 feet in elevation.
As were hauling ourselves up the narrow slope of the mountain, we dreamed about how incredible the top was going to be in the sunrise to pass our time and make our sweat and heavy breathing seem worth it.
With cold toes and wet pants, we finally summited early at 5:00 AM.
Except, to our disappointment, there was no sunrise and no view, the clouds were completely covering our view of everything and our eyes fixated on a white abyss.
Wet, cold, hungry and a little disappointed, we sat down and waited for the sun to come. We debated if we would even see the sunrise at all, it may just be a cloudy morning and we may see nothing, which we completely predicted and expected.
As our time came to 5:45, everything was still a haze of cloud and a dark grey sky. We told ourselves that it probably wouldn’t clear up but it was okay because it was still a great hike.
Then, to our surprise, in a matter of minutes, the clouds settled into the valley of the city, uncovering the peaks of towering mountain tops and a light purple sky. The clouds fell below us and looked like a gentle cotton blanket whose white color reflected the peach and purple gradient of the sky above.
It was beautiful. Not just normal beautiful, but bring you to your knees and shed a tear, beautiful. We all stood and gazed in astonishment for about an hour.
I remember looking out in the heavenly view and remarking that we had such little faith that we would see anything at all, yet it ended up blowing us all out of the water.
And I remember hearing that little voice say, “you do the same thing with me”.
I remembered how, just like the sunrise, I had low or no expectations for God. I was always afraid to believe God’s promises out of the fear of disappointment.
What little faith I have! To rely on my human understanding and cling to the mundane rather that trust in the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords.
Not only did God surpass our little expectations of a sunrise that morning, but he put on a show! He ravished us with his beauty and creation until there was nothing left to do but sit in reverence and adoration.
That is how good he is, His plans are ones that surpass not only our expectations but our understanding of beauty. He pursues us with passion to win our hearts.
I sat there, pondering this incomprehensible love as the sun lifted itself past the clouds and began to warm our rosy noses and wet shoes.
Just like the sunrise, I want to challenge myself to expect God to wow me and trust that it is all how he designed it to be.
His works are perfect and his pursuit is passionate, how grateful I am to worship Him.
How breathtaking it must have been to sit on that mountain top surrounded by the stillness of God’s cathedral.
God’s breath-taking beauty surrounds you Elina. I love your descriptions. I’m taken there and stand by your side with your words. Love you
Nature is God – God is Nature. It has always been my solace, my inspiration, my grounding and brings me awe that humbles me completely. Beautiful writing. I was with you in spirit. Thank you for sharing.